Official MLBlog of the Kansas City Royals front office.

Jeremy Guthrie is excited for an opportunity in Kansas City

New Royals pitcher Jeremy Guthrie spoke with media members on a conference call today. Guthrie said right away that he is excited to be with the Royals. Guthrie is disappointed that he could not win more games for Colorado, but sees a perfect fit with a core of young players in Kansas City. He is eager to set a good example for the staff through his work ethic.

Guthrie is going from the high altitude of Colorado to an expansive outfield at Kauffman Stadium. He recognizes The K as a good park for pitchers and believes that Kansas City’s defense makes it even better.

The 33-year old has struggled this year, allowing 21 home runs, the most by a National League pitcher. He acknowledges that hitters were making too much solid contact and said that the home runs were not wall scrapers – most would have been out of any stadium. He felt like he had good stuff in his last start at Coors…and as for the impact from Colorado’s altitude, he stated, “I’m not a scientist, so I don’t know”.

Reporters asked the right-hander about his freak bicycle accident, which occurred in April. Guthrie said that a rear piece of the bike popped loose, forcing the tension in the chain to be lost. He stumbled sideways and jammed his elbow into the ground. He described the injury as more of a football injury that typically occurs with contact.

Guthrie has always worked hard to stay healthy – which shows as he has pitched 200+ innings in each season from 2009 to 2011. He also has a connection in Kansas City as head trainer Nick Kenney was an assistant trainer while the pair were with Cleveland.

Guthrie described himself as a person that is always optimistic and ready for the next challenge. The Stanford product knows that he can learn from his experience in Colorado and is ready to pitch in front of some great fans here in Kansas City! He is slated to join the club here tomorrow and will wear uniform #33.

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